Garlic
See also:
Complementary Healthcare Products
Back in 1994, Canine Health Concern issued press releases about the dangers of conventional flea control products. Not one pet magazine printed our release and, shortly afterwards, one of the offending products managed to kills dozens of dogs and cats before it was withdrawn from the market. We have since reported that the Veterinary Medicine's Directorate (VMD) - a government body supposedly there to protect us and our pets from harmful products - is more concerned about the profits of big business than your pets. Carbaryl, a deadly insecticide, for example, was withdrawn from human use, whilst the VMD allowed manufacturers to use up their stocks on our pets.
So . . . there must be a safer way. The following article talks of the benefits of garlic as a parasite repellent. Other natural products, such as lavender oil, are also offensive to fleas and ticks. Xenex spot on is a natural repellent, made from plant oils, that smells (to me) rather pleasant. However, CHC member Sally Charles has written to say that both she and Bertie the cat found the smell unbelievably awful. I guess it's a matter of taste! We recommend you use less than recommended by the manufacturer to start with.
In his book, 'Pet Allergies, Remedies for an Epidemic', Dr Alfred Pleichner says that you can render your dog or cat virtually flea proof by adding a complete vitamin and mineral supplement to meals. This is because parasites don't like the smell of some of the nutrients. Brewers yeast powder can also repel fleas and other parasites. It can be used as a food supplement (although some dogs are allergic to it, so use with caution initially) and it can also be brushed on the dog’s coat.
So, here's the article about garlic from Dr Mercola's Newsletter. It's worth noting that, with global warming, Lyme disease might become a growing problem worldwide:
Garlic Keeps the Ticks Away
www.mercola.com
Lyme disease is a very serious and common tick-borne disease. Although named after the town in Connecticut where the first case was identified, it now occurs worldwide. For example, in Sweden. As many as 10,000 individuals are thought to be affected each year. Therefore researchers from Sweden decided to investigate ways of decreasing the risk of tick bites, as well as other insect bites:
They note that recent studies have suggested that the frequency of insect bites may be linked to different body doors (Lancet. 1996;347:1423). They therefore wondered if the door of garlic might be effective as well. Although standard insect repellents can be somewhat effective against insect and tick bites, they may have adverse effects on humans and animals. Researchers conducted a prospective, randomized, double-blind intervention trial of garlic to prevent tick bites among Swedish marines.
Using 100 subjects, 50 consumed 1200 mg/d garlic capsules and 50 consumed placebo for 8 weeks, followed by a washout period of 2 weeks, and then a crossover to placebo or garlic capsule consumption for another 10 weeks. All participants wore the same type of uniforms, consumed approximately the same diet, participated in similar activities, and spent equal amounts of time in tick-endemic areas. Tick bites were recorded in a diary after daily self-inspection of the skin. The garlic capsules were found to reduce the risk of tick bites by 21%.
According to the researchers "There was significant reduction in tick bites when consuming garlic compared with placebo; our results suggest that garlic may be considered as a tick repellent for individuals and populations at high risk for tick bite, rather than other agents that might have more adverse effects."
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Diet
A to Z
See also:
Complementary Healthcare Products
Back in 1994, Canine Health Concern issued press releases about the dangers of conventional flea control products. Not one pet magazine printed our release and, shortly afterwards, one of the offending products managed to kills dozens of dogs and cats before it was withdrawn from the market. We have since reported that the Veterinary Medicine's Directorate (VMD) - a government body supposedly there to protect us and our pets from harmful products - is more concerned about the profits of big business than your pets. Carbaryl, a deadly insecticide, for example, was withdrawn from human use, whilst the VMD allowed manufacturers to use up their stocks on our pets.
So . . . there must be a safer way. The following article talks of the benefits of garlic as a parasite repellent. Other natural products, such as lavender oil, are also offensive to fleas and ticks. Xenex spot on is a natural repellent, made from plant oils, that smells (to me) rather pleasant. However, CHC member Sally Charles has written to say that both she and Bertie the cat found the smell unbelievably awful. I guess it's a matter of taste! We recommend you use less than recommended by the manufacturer to start with.
In his book, 'Pet Allergies, Remedies for an Epidemic', Dr Alfred Pleichner says that you can render your dog or cat virtually flea proof by adding a complete vitamin and mineral supplement to meals. This is because parasites don't like the smell of some of the nutrients. Brewers yeast powder can also repel fleas and other parasites. It can be used as a food supplement (although some dogs are allergic to it, so use with caution initially) and it can also be brushed on the dog’s coat.
So, here's the article about garlic from Dr Mercola's Newsletter. It's worth noting that, with global warming, Lyme disease might become a growing problem worldwide:
Garlic Keeps the Ticks Away
www.mercola.com
Lyme disease is a very serious and common tick-borne disease. Although named after the town in Connecticut where the first case was identified, it now occurs worldwide. For example, in Sweden. As many as 10,000 individuals are thought to be affected each year. Therefore researchers from Sweden decided to investigate ways of decreasing the risk of tick bites, as well as other insect bites:
They note that recent studies have suggested that the frequency of insect bites may be linked to different body doors (Lancet. 1996;347:1423). They therefore wondered if the door of garlic might be effective as well. Although standard insect repellents can be somewhat effective against insect and tick bites, they may have adverse effects on humans and animals. Researchers conducted a prospective, randomized, double-blind intervention trial of garlic to prevent tick bites among Swedish marines.
Using 100 subjects, 50 consumed 1200 mg/d garlic capsules and 50 consumed placebo for 8 weeks, followed by a washout period of 2 weeks, and then a crossover to placebo or garlic capsule consumption for another 10 weeks. All participants wore the same type of uniforms, consumed approximately the same diet, participated in similar activities, and spent equal amounts of time in tick-endemic areas. Tick bites were recorded in a diary after daily self-inspection of the skin. The garlic capsules were found to reduce the risk of tick bites by 21%.
According to the researchers "There was significant reduction in tick bites when consuming garlic compared with placebo; our results suggest that garlic may be considered as a tick repellent for individuals and populations at high risk for tick bite, rather than other agents that might have more adverse effects."
Back to:
Diet
A to Z